1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a water inlet system for an appliance having a washing chamber.
2. Prior Art
In portable home appliances such as washing machines and dish washers, a washing chamber is connected to a source of water such as a faucet of a sink by a detachable coupling. An example of such a coupling is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,681 which issued to Robert J. Jarvis and Roland E. Nicholson on Feb. 2, 1971 and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. As disclosed in the Jarvis et al. patent, a coupling connects a water inlet line to a faucet of a sink and also positions the outlet of a discharge line for discharging water into the sink. The coupler provides a rapid connection and disconnection to the faucet, so that when the appliance is not in use, the coupler is disconnected from the source of water to allow storage of the appliance in an area away from the source of water.
While the detachable couplers of the prior art are very useful, they do not present some problems in their manufacture and to the operators of the appliance. Since the valve for controlling the addition of the water to the washing chamber is in the cabinet of the appliance, the water inlet conduit or hose during the operation of the appliance is constantly charged with water under household water line pressure. Thus, the water inlet hose must be made of a flexible material which is also able to withstand the constant pressure of the source of water. Due to the pressure in the inlet hose, the coupler must be provided with a bleed or vent valve to reduce the pressure in the hose prior to disconnection of the coupler from the faucet to prevent spilling and splashing of water as the coupling is removed from the faucet. The requirement for the high pressure hose and the vent or bleed valve increases the cost of manufacturing the water inlet system or device.
Since it is always desirable to reduce the cost of manufacturing of home appliances, it would be desirable to remove the requirement for a high pressure hose for the inlet hose between the water source and the cabinet. For a permanently installed laundry device, it has been suggested, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,006, to place an electrically actuated solenoid valve at the connection of the water hose to the water pipes so that during non-use of the appliance, the hoses will not be subjected to the pressure in the water lines. In such a system, the use of electrically actuated solenoid valves requires the provision of electrical lines extending up to and adjacent to the water pipes for carrying electricity to actuate the solenoid valve and this could result in a safety hazard. In a portable washing appliance, such as a dish washer or laundry device, the provision of electrically actuated solenoid valves at the coupling could increase the size of the coupling so that it would not be easy to store within the cabinet during non-use of the appliance.